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Wednesday, 29 June 2016

Saraki’s attempts to stop trials shameful, says Gbonigi

The Chairman of the Yoruba Unity Forum, Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi (retd.), says the ongoing court trials of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, are ridiculing the image of the country.

Gbonigi also said attempts made by the Senate President to stop his trials were shameful and undeserving of a public figure.

Gbonigi explained that any public office holder’s attempt to stop his trial was “a proof to suspect that such a public office holder had something to cover up.”The elder statesman said this in an interview with our correspondent on Wednesday.

He said, “I feel that the Senate President’s trials are ridiculing Nigeria. For the Senate President to move from the first court to the appeal court and then to the Supreme Court to ensure that he is not investigated is not fine. I felt shameful. Why should he go to that length? If what they accused him of is not true, why can’t he allow them (Code of Conduct Bureau) to do their job?

“It is the duty of anyone who is accused of committing crimes to show all of us that he is innocent rather than blame the anti-graft agencies. If anybody does not want to be investigated, it is a proof to suspect that such a person has something to cover up.”

Gbonigi also asked the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, to apologise to Nigerians for writing a petition to the United Nations, European Union, United States, and other foreign missions, over an alleged witch-hunt of opposition leaders.

Ekweremadu had alleged in the petition that the forgery case was allegedly aimed at silencing him as the leader and the highest -ranking member of the opposition in the country.

He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to focus on reviving the country’s economy.

He said, “I don’t think that the anti-graft war is selective. I’m trying to choose words carefully. I may think the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is doing its job without any influence from the executive arm, it may be that the executive is influencing it, but I don’t think so.

“But the executive has not proved to all that the anti-graft war is not selective; there is not enough proof that the war is not selective. Let them convince Nigerians.Let the executive arm of government come out and state very clearly that it is not selective, it should prove that it is not selective and publish it and let it be seen clearly by everybody.

“It’s a pity that Ekweremadu wrote to the foreign missions about a national matter. I personally think that it is very wrong to take our national issues to the international level. Let us try to find solutions to our problems at home. I appeal to him to stop doing that. Moreover, he should apologise not only to President Muhammadu Buhari, but also to the National Assembly and Nigerians for such an action. The National Assembly belongs to all of us.”